Panfield Gives Millard First Group 1 in 8 Years

A perfect ride aboard Tony Millard-trained Panfield delivered Karis Teetan Group 1 success in the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. According to hkjc.com, grieving the death of close friend Nooresh Juglall in a race fall in Mauritius on 15 May, Teetan dedicated the victory to his wife Xaviere after Millard’s brilliant training effort lifted some of the popular Mauritian jockey’s gloom. “If I did not have my wife by my side, I might not have been here at the moment and she was there and kept on pushing me and gave me confidence. “It’s been a long time since I got one of these big ones, but this feels good. You need to just keep working hard and it will come.” Teetan tracked Exultant and Zac Purton relentlessly behind pace-setter Time Warp before mounting his challenge in the straight, clawing his way past the five-time G1 winner before withstanding a late challenge from Joao Moreira and Columbus County. Half a length separated Panfield (Lookin at Lucky) and Columbus County (Redwood) with Exultant (Teofilo) a length and a quarter further back. Dual Derby-winning handler Millard posted his first G1 triumph in Hong Kong since Ambitious Dragon’s 2013 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup. He said Panfield – winner of three G1s in Chile before arriving in Hong Kong – had received a “proper Millard preparation” leading into the race. “We did a good 1800 metre workout and if any of you saw it, it was unbelievable. He broke 60 seconds for 1000 (metres) and he came home (the last 400m) in 21.8 and Karis was hanging onto him.”